Monthly Newsletter: Vol 29, No. 10 – October 2025

What the data tell us about equality between women and men

The newly released Gender Snapshot 2025 paints a nuanced picture of progress towards gender equality. On one hand, there have been historic gains: girls are more likely to complete school than ever before, and maternal mortality fell by nearly 40 per cent between 2000 and 2023. Women’s participation in climate negotiations has doubled. In the past five years alone, 99 positive legal reforms have been enacted to dismantle discrimination.

Yet significant setbacks persist. If current trends continue, 351 million women and girls could still be living in extreme poverty by 2030. In 2024, nearly 64 million more women than men faced moderate or severe food insecurity, with anaemia among women aged 19-45 years projected to rise from 31 per cent today to 33 per cent in 2030. Women spend on average 2.5 times as many hours on unpaid care and domestic work as men. Only 30 per cent of managerial roles globally are held by women – a pace of change so slow that parity remains nearly a century away.

At the same time, targeted investment can be transformational. Closing the gender digital divide alone could add $1.5 trillion to global GDP by 2030. Accelerated action and interventions focused on care, education, the green economy, labour markets and social protection could unlock an estimated $342 trillion in cumulative economic returns by 2050.

The report’s main message is clear: gender equality is more than a moral imperative; it is an economic and social necessity. The 2030 deadline to meet the Sustainable Development Goals is fast approaching, and the next five years will determine whether the world seizes this opportunity – or allows hard-won gains to slip away.

Read the complete report, published by UN DESA and UN Women, here: The Gender Snapshot 2025.

Expert Voices

Sharing benefits of transformation broadly, leaving no one behind

Neil Pierre

Preparations are ramping up for the Second World Summit for Social Development taking place in Doha in less than two months. Expected to gather leaders from around the world, the Summit will seek ways to accelerate social progress and continue efforts to put people at the center of sustainable development. We spoke with UN DESA’s Neil Pierre about this milestone event and what he hopes it will achieve.

It’s been 30 years since the landmark World Summit on Social Development was convened in Copenhagen, Denmark. Reflecting on the past three decades, what progress have we made and what more do we need to do as inequalities have risen?

“Since the 1995 World Summit on Social Development, the world has seen major progress in poverty reduction. The share of people living in extreme poverty fell from 33 per cent in 1995 to 8.5 per cent in 2024, and over one billion people have escaped poverty. However, progress has slowed sharply since 2019, with many at risk of sliding back.

Inequalities remain a serious challenge. 65 per cent of the world’s population lives in countries where income inequality has increased since the 1990s. Wealth is highly concentrated, with the richest 10 per cent holding 76 per cent of global wealth, while the poorest half owns only two per cent. Labour income shares have declined, and gaps in education and health outcomes persist. Children in the richest households are far more likely to avoid stunting and attend school compared to those in the poorest households, especially in sub-Saharan Africa.

Social protection remains uneven: nearly half of the world’s people lack coverage, and in low-income countries, fewer than 10 per cent have access. High-income countries are close to universal coverage, but developing nations lag far behind, leaving the most vulnerable exposed to poverty and climate shocks.

In short, poverty has declined, but progress is fragile. Inequalities, gaps in access to education and health, and weak social protection systems show how much remains to be done.”

What outcomes and commitments can we expect from the Second World Summit for Social Development in Doha? How will this Summit move beyond the 1995 Copenhagen commitments to address today’s challenges of digital transformation, climate change and rising inequalities?

“The Second World Summit in Doha will deliver a Political Declaration reaffirming global commitments to social development. Member States recognize the urgency of tackling poverty, unemployment, and exclusion, while addressing structural causes and consequences in line with human rights.

The Declaration builds on the Copenhagen commitments by reaffirming the three pillars of social development: poverty eradication, decent work, and social integration. It emphasizes their interdependence and the need for enabling environments that allow them to be pursued together. It links social development directly with peace, security, and human rights, underscoring that one cannot exist without the others.

The Declaration also reaffirms the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals, with a promise to “leave no one behind.” It acknowledges today’s realities, including climate change, digital transformation, and widening inequalities, and calls for holistic approaches to eradicate both extreme and multidimensional poverty. It highlights resilience, inclusion, and combating the feminization of poverty.

Finally, it commits to inclusive, sustainable economic growth, full employment, decent work for all, and cohesive societies grounded in solidarity, equality, and human dignity.”

How can we harness new tools—such as digital participation, community-led innovations, and inclusive governance platforms—to make multilateralism truly people-centered?

“The Summit will highlight how digital participation, innovation, and inclusive governance can help achieve people-centered multilateralism. Building on the Pact for the Future, it will stress the role of stakeholders in harnessing transformative technologies to advance social development.

Investment will be a key focus, including international cooperation and South-South collaboration, to support developing countries in poverty eradication and social inclusion. Discussions will call for equitable access to markets, investments, and technologies, while boosting productivity, diversification, and digital innovation.

Youth employment and skills development will be central. The Summit will promote policies that expand access to education, vocational training, lifelong learning, digital literacy, entrepreneurship, and universal social protection. This also includes addressing informal work, ensuring fair wages, safe conditions, and full respect for workers’ rights.

A major priority will be closing digital divides within and between countries. The Summit will promote safe and affordable access to digital infrastructure, public goods, and emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence. At the same time, it will stress responsible governance to prevent harm and risks.

By linking technology, governance, and social inclusion, the Summit aims to ensure that the benefits of transformation are shared broadly, leaving no one behind.”

For more information: Second World Summit for Social Development.

Things You Need To Know

Volume 29 | No.10 | October 2025

7 ways UN DESA boosts change through multilateral action

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With just five years remaining to achieve the 2030 Agenda, the world stands at a crossroads. The past year has brought unprecedented challenges—from converging crises, rising geopolitical tensions to persistent inequalities that have tested our collective resolve and threatened progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Yet, this period has also sparked bold innovation, renewed partnerships, and fresh momentum for multilateral action.

UN DESA’s annual Highlights 2025 report captures seven transformative ways the Department has supported Member States and partners to drive SDG progress during the 79th session of the General Assembly.

1. Accelerating action for the SDGs

Amidst global uncertainty, UN DESA has served as the intergovernmental nexus of the UN development pillar. The Department supported Member States through pivotal moments, including the adoption of the Pact for the Future at the Summit of the Future, revitalizing global cooperation. UN DESA also supported the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF), advancing SDG localization, science and technology innovation, and multistakeholder partnerships.

2. Reducing poverty and inequality

UN DESA has called for a bold new global policy consensus to leave no one behind. As reflected in the World Social Report 2025, the Department outlined pathways to universal social protection, decent work, and inclusive institutions. Its initiatives have empowered marginalized communities, advanced disability inclusion, and promoted economic models designed to leave no one behind.

3. Ensuring sustainable financing

Addressing the heart of the sustainable development crisis, UN DESA played a pivotal role in reshaping the global financing landscape. The historic Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development in Sevilla, Spain brought together world leaders to adopt the landmark Sevilla Commitment. Breakthrough achievements in international tax cooperation and tailored support for Small Island Developing States (SIDS) have opened new avenues for sustainable investment.

4. Making data count

Robust, high-quality data remains the foundation of effective policymaking. UN DESA’s critical role in setting global standards, launching the 2030 World Population and Housing Census Programme, and mainstreaming gender perspectives in official statistics has enabled countries to monitor and accelerate SDG progress with evidence-based solutions.

5. Strengthening national institutions and accountability

UN DESA has strengthened governance by supporting effective, accountable, and inclusive public institutions. This year, the Department convened global leaders and innovators at the 2025 United Nations Public Service Forum, launched a cutting-edge E-Government Toolkit to modernize public service delivery, and energized digital cooperation through the Internet Governance Forum, which broke participation records and sparked vibrant global dialogue.

6. Ending the war on nature

UN DESA’s integrated approach to the triple planetary crisis has mobilized transformative action. From the “Our ocean, our future” declaration at the UN Ocean Conference to $1.4 trillion in commitments under the Energy Compacts, and leadership in climate and forest conservation, the Department is advancing holistic solutions for people and planet.

7. Framing the future of development

Strategic foresight and anticipatory action are at the heart of UN DESA’s work to navigate global uncertainty. Through flagship reports, innovative AI-powered tools, macroeconomic modeling, and youth engagement, the Department is equipping Member States and the UN system to meet both present and future challenges.

Read more about these achievements in the UN DESA Annual Highlights Report available here.

More from UN DESA

Read more here: https://desapublications.un.org/un-desa-voice/october-2025

Renewable Energy A Step Towards The Right Direction

Photo c/o Constantino Foundation

In 1979, historian Renato Constantino already recognized the urgent need for a transition to renewable energy as a matter of both national security and ecological survival. In The Nationalist Alternative, he argued that the sun, wind, geothermal heat, and water movement could all be harnessed through safe and affordable methods, providing the country with sustainable energy independence. Constantino understood that reliance on imported fossil fuels left the nation vulnerable to global price shocks and deepened ecological risks. His foresight positioned renewable energy not merely as a technological option, but as a nationalist imperative—integral to safeguarding the people, the environment, and the country’s sovereignty. More than four decades later, his call remains strikingly relevant as the Philippines and the world confront the realities of climate change and energy insecurity.

Read more here:https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=811655287926745&set=a.222565690169044

 

The next global order has arrived — The megatrends of today and tomorrow

03 September 2025

Dr. Parag Khanna

More than twenty years ago, I began traveling across Central Asia, especially the former Soviet republics colloquially referred to as the “Stans”. In college, I was so obsessed with the ancient Silk Roads traversing this region that my nickname became “Paragistan”. One major section of my first book The Second World (2008) investigated the growing geopolitical role of a nascent coalition – the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) – which some mused was becoming “the NATO of the East”. This week, the SCO made a statement on the global stage, bringing together the leaders of more than a dozen member states spanning the corners of Asia. Indeed, it underscored the new strategic compass laid out in The Future is Asian (2019) in which I emphasized that Russia is as much “North Asia” as it is Eastern Europe. The next global order is not a distant apparition but it is already in place.

The same goes for how we think about the quality of states. As I pointed out this Spring in the “The Periodic Table of States” (featured in Foreign Policy magazine), neither bigger nor more democratic is necessarily better. Asian nations and smaller states get the recognition they deserve for their stateness and overall stability – a virtue in seemingly short supply in the West today.

Here again pretensions of ideological superiority won’t get anyone very far. Power and prestige emerge from harnessing the interlocking forces of geopolitics, geoeconomics and geotechnology for national advancement. As I argued in Hybrid Reality (2011), “the balance of innovation determines the balance of power.” The true contest of the 21st century is democratic versus authoritarian but simply old versus new.

Three fundamentally new drivers – the advance of AI, the demographic plateau, and rising climate volatility – must also be factored into our modeling of the complex global system today. As I argued in MOVE (2021), the winning societies of the future will be those that deploy technology for public benefit, attract skilled young workers, and invest in climate adaptation.

Look carefully around the world and measure these attributes before deciding where to move or invest.

This is precisely how AlphaGeo advises its growing roster of global clients. Our AI-powered geospatial analytics platform offers systematically curated, downscaled and proprietary engineered predictive analytics that enable investors to measure the resilience of their assets and identify the high-conviction growth markets of the future. Give it a try today with our free trial.

I look forward to your feedback on the above and interacting the coming months. Be sure to connect on LinkedIn and X for news, insights, and more.

 

All the best,

Parag

 

Read more here: https://www.paragkhanna.com/

 

 

UN DESA Monthly Newsletter for September 2025

 

A decade of change: How the SDGs are transforming     the lives of millions worldwide
Amid the shimmering heat and sleek skyline of Manama, Bahrain, Eman Fareed methodically pinches off bits of dough and spaces the soon-to-be cookies evenly on a baking tray in her kitchen. A retired civil servant and a mother, she opened her own business. “I named my company ‘Brown Sugar’ because I am Brown and I like sugar,” Fareed says, laughing. 

The enterprise emerged as a result of her passion for sweets and the support of Kaaf Humanitarian. This Bahraini non-profit has become a grassroots model for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by empowering individuals and communities to achieve self-reliance.

“They show me how to go in my life,” Fareed adds as tears roll down her cheeks. “This is a story I will tell my child, how I become a good and a strong woman.”

Eman Fareed is just one among the millions of people whose lives have continued to improve in the 10 years since the world embarked on one of its most ambitious journeys yet – achieving the SDGs.

Her story, featured by UN News, serves as a reminder that behind the 17 bright-colored tiles are more than eight billion people who deserve and strive for a prosperous, dignified and fulfilling future – on a healthy and thriving planet.

Much progress has been made

Since 2015, when the historic 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development became a lighthouse, guiding global efforts to create a better future for all, many people’s stories have been changed for the better.

Behind the bright red tile of SDG 1: No Poverty are the 4.2 billion people, or 52.4 per cent of the world’s population, who now have access to at least one social protection benefit. This is an increase of 10 percentage points since the SDGs were launched. Over the past decade, the bottom 40 per cent of populations in most countries experienced higher income and consumption growth than the national average. Internet use expanded from 40 per cent in 2015 to 68 per cent in 2024 – connecting millions more to opportunities for education, work and participation in politics and beyond.

“We have seen a significant decline in child marriage, and maternal and child mortality rates have fallen,” said UN DESA Under-Secretary-General Li Junhua. At this intersection of SDG 5: Gender Equality and SDG 3: Good Health and Well-Being, are the millions of lives saved, and the millions of deaths prevented.

Behind the crimson tile of SDG 4: Quality Education are the 110 million more children who have entered school since 2015. Over the past 10 years, schooling completion rates have been rising at all levels of education, and the gender gap has been continuously narrowing.

This list of advances made in the name of the SDGs over the past decade is far from complete: many more have been made, and many more lives have been improved. Such inspiring progress comes as a result of a years-long national and international effort.

Since 2015, 190 countries, plus the European Union, have presented their Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs) at least once, demonstrating a global commitment to working toward the 2030 Agenda, promoting accountability and sharing good practices and lessons learned from the ground up.

“These are not isolated wins. They are signs of momentum. Signs that multilateralism can deliver,” said UN Secretary‑General António Guterres.

Five more years ahead

Still, the roadblocks on the way to a safer and more equal future for all persist.

“Despite these important gains, the convergence of conflicts, climate chaos, geopolitical tensions, and economic shocks continue to obstruct progress at the pace and scale needed to meet our 2030 commitments,” Mr. Li said.

According to this year’s Sustainable Development Goals Report, only 35 per cent of SDG targets are on track or making moderate progress. Nearly half are moving too slowly, and 18 per cent are going backwards. But it is not a reason for desperation. Instead, it is a call for more urgent action.

“The Sustainable Development Goals are not a dream. They are a plan – a plan to keep our promises to the most vulnerable people, to each other, and to future generations,” Mr. Guterres said. “With five years left, it’s time to transform these sparks of transformation into a blaze of progress – for all countries. Let us act with determination, justice and direction. And let’s deliver on development – for people and for planet.”

Expert Voices

Why the way we measure poverty matters

Around the world, over 800 million people live in extreme poverty and 1.1 billion people are still living in multidimensional poverty. As part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, efforts are ongoing to improve the situation and to once and for all eradicate poverty. But why does the way we measure poverty matter for global efforts towards its eradication? We asked Sabina Alkire, Director of the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative at the University of Oxford, to explain.

Why does the way we measure poverty matter?

“We measure poverty, fundamentally, to provide essential information required to guide actions that reduce poverty and to evaluate whether poverty has gone down.

One aspect of poverty is clearly monetary. As Amartya Sen put it, money is a general-purpose means that enables people to access many important things. However, many people cannot build a road if there is none nearby, nor build and run a school or health clinic or create decent jobs for their family. They might not even be able to draw water or electricity to their house or improve its flooring and fix the roof.

We measure multidimensional poverty to guide actions for people whose capabilities are constrained in several overlapping ways (maybe related to health and nutrition, education, housing, work or security) at the same time.”

In your work, you address the measurement of multidimensional poverty. What does that mean?

“Following Sen again, a poverty measure first sets the space or ingredients of poverty. A multidimensional poverty index – or MPI – usually consults the protagonists (people experiencing poverty) as well as government actors and identifies a core set of deprivations that tend to comprise poverty.

Next a measure identifies who is poor. In our case, people who have a critical mass of deprivations at the same time are identified as multidimensionally poor. It aggregates this information across people so that we can assess which groups are poorest – by age, location, gender, disability status, race and ethnicity and so on. Anti-poverty actions can then target the poorest groups or households.

To guide actions that reduce poverty, we break down MPI by its component indicators. Knowing the structure of poverty – how many poor people are deprived in each indicator, and which indicator combinations are most common – empowers actors to design cost-effective and integrated policy responses.

Finally, the measures are updated regularly, to see whether poverty reduced, and whether the poorest groups reduced poverty the fastest – which means poverty reduction can be celebrated as leaving no one behind, and new goals set for the next period.”

What opportunities does the Second World Summit for Social Development (WSSD2) create in this area?

“MPIs, which emerged since the 1995 Copenhagen World Summit for Social Development (WSSD1), are a potentially powerful and central tool to advance WSSD2 aims. We hope that WSSD2 will create opportunities to share the potential contribution that multidimensional poverty metrics can have going forward – for example by advancing multiple interconnected SDGs efficiently until 2030 and LNOB.

We hope that future global goals will assess poverty reduction using absolute and relative changes, and changes in the number of people living in poverty – so the diagnoses of success acknowledge progress in the poorest places. And we hope that WSSD2 will also engage MPIs, as much current research does, when overlaying poverty and climate hazards, analysing gendered patterns of poverty, discussing left-behind groups like children, and prioritising poverty data needs.

In fiscally tight times, we need clear, accurate, highly policy relevant metrics that illuminate WSSD2’s high priority areas and diagnose success. MPI might be an option to consider.”

For more information on MPIs: What is the global MPI?

For details on WSSD2: Second World Summit on Social Development

Sabina Alkire is Director of the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI) at the University of Oxford; and a member of the Committee for Development Policy (CDP).

Photo credit: John Cairns Photography

Things You Need To Know

7 things you should know about accelerating social progress

 

As the world prepares for the Second World Summit for Social Development in November in Qatar, momentum is building to accelerate social progress. The need to put people at the center of development has never been more urgent. Inequality, exclusion, insecurity, and mistrust in institutions are rising, but so too is global demand to build a more inclusive and resilient future. Here are seven things you should know about accelerating social progress:

1. It’s about people, not just policies

Social progress means ensuring that everyone, across generations, regions, and communities, can live with dignity, opportunity, and security. It is driven by investments in education, decent work, health, housing, and social protection.

2. Social development is a catalyst

Inclusive societies are safer, stronger, and more stable. With well-designed social policies, communities can navigate crucial transitions, digital, demographic, and ecological, fairly and effectively. Partnerships with think tanks and academia provide the research and evidence needed for effective, people-centred policy.

3. Social progress and a healthy planet go hand in hand

A just green transition must put people and the planet first, lifting communities while safeguarding ecosystems. Social progress cannot come at the cost of our environment; rather, it is about creating sustainable futures for all.

4. Social progress is not automatic
Left unattended, inequalities deepen. Advancing social progress requires deliberate choices: inclusive policies, strong institutions, and collective action. Governments, civil society, the private sector, and individuals all share responsibility to break cycles of poverty and exclusion.

5. Digital transformation must advance inclusion

The digital revolution and artificial intelligence (AI) are reshaping societies. To accelerate progress, these innovations must go hand-in-hand with trust, ethics, and universal access, ensuring that technology empowers rather than excludes.

6. The 2030 Agenda is at stake
Poverty eradication, full employment and decent work, and social integration — the three pillars of the Summit — are also central to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Accelerating social progress is essential to rescuing the 2030 Agenda.

7. Everyone has a voice
The UN’s global campaign, Accelerating Social Progress, invites people everywhere to share what social progress means to them. From young innovators to older persons, from workers to caregivers, these voices are shaping the vision of a more inclusive world.

The Summit in Doha will be a historic moment to recommit to people-centred multilateralism and chart a path toward a fairer, more secure, and more sustainable future.

Share your voice here by 8 September 2025 on what social progress means to you.

Learn more and join the conversation here: Second World Summit for Social Development.

Photo credit: UNHCR

 

SDG Blog

Ten years of the Sustainable Development Goals: progress, setbacks, and a path forward

By Bjørg Sandkjær, Assistant Secretary-General for Policy Coordination, UN DESA

As we mark the tenth anniversary of the Sustainable Development Goals, it’s time for both reflection and renewed determination. Over the next five years, we must protect hard-won gains and accelerate action – so no child is pushed into poverty by a crisis, no worker is trapped in insecurity, and no household is left behind by transitions.

The numbers – compiled by UN DESA in our annual Sustainable Development Goals Report – tell a compelling story of progress since the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was adopted in 2015.

Today, over half the global population has access to some form of social protection – an important step towards improving people’s wellbeing. More than 90 per cent of people worldwide now have electricity, while Internet access has jumped by 70 per cent since 2015. We’re seeing more girls completing school as gender gaps in education continue to narrow.

These numbers represent millions of lives transformed, opportunities created, and barriers broken down.

What is particularly encouraging is how science, technology, and innovation have become central to how countries approach development. Through platforms like the STI Forum, we’re witnessing how innovation can make development more inclusive, especially for those often left behind – including in small island developing States and Least Developed Countries.

But the reality is that only about a third of SDG targets are on track, and 18 per cent are moving in the wrong direction. This is a wake-up call. The world faces extraordinary challenges – conflicts, climate chaos, economic instability – that test our collective resolve.

Inequalities remain stubbornly high and many people struggle to earn adequate incomes in precarious jobs. As UN DESA’s World Social Report 2025 shows, people’s frustration is turning into distrust and straining the foundations of social cohesion and global solidarity.

The hopeful truth is that we know what works: sustained investment in quality public services; universal social protection; decent work and productive employment; and institutions that are inclusive, accountable and trusted.

Progress happens where there’s strong leadership, smart and sustained investment, and genuine inclusion. We’ve seen this formula succeed across diverse contexts, proving that the SDGs are achievable.

As we approach the final stretch to 2030, the choice before us is clear: retreat into fragmentation or advance with solidarity and cooperation. The recent successful Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development in Sevilla showed that the global community can still come together to address systemic challenges – from the $4 trillion SDG financing gap to reforming international financial architecture.

The upcoming Second World Summit on Social Development can lead to concrete actions and key investments in people, in social protection and  in public services. The process of the Summit is as important as its outcomes – the Summit can help restore people’s trust in institutions if we see wide participation from all stakeholders, and if people are informed about the commitments made and the actions being taken to meet these commitments.

Multilateral cooperation is not a luxury – it is a practical necessity for the future we want. The next five years will define whether we deliver on the promise of leaving no one behind.

The SDGs were designed because our greatest challenges are shared. Our solutions must be as well.

 

Read more here: https://desapublications.un.org/un-desa-voice/september-2025

 

The debacles of flooding in the Philippines

Antonio A. Ver

Today’s big talk is flood control corruption proclaimed from Malacañang and Congress. The privilege speech of Sen. Lacson was a litany of profundities. (August 20, 2025). Soon, “Mahiya naman kayo!” will reach the Supreme Court, too.

Perennial, grandstanding, investigation, sound bites, deaths, diseases, unending sufferings. Ask I must: Has there been a solution offered?

Fact 1: 18 Major River Basins in entire country. See Photo here

Fact 2: “Based on the records of flood control strategies from pre-Hispanic to the present, we can see that the focus since the creation of the (bureau) is mainly on risk reduction and not on risk avoidance. Most of the projects are engineering in nature and very few dealt with land use, thus neglecting the more important issues on housing, job creation, and others. Esteros and other natural drains are neglected and become breeding grounds of garbage, literally and figuratively. And even major engineering solutions such as the Manggahan Floodway just transferred the risk especially if the entirety of the proposal is not built.” (Rinen & Maki, n.d.). See Flood Control Projects in the Philippines here.

Fact 3:

The State of Floods, Data from Energies River Corp.

On May 12, 2025, we culled the “Projects” that have been the perennial reasons of flooding.
Upcoming & Proposed Projects
Laguna Lakeshore Road Network & Dike (LLDA) A 47-km dike with a highway to protect Laguna lakeshore communities.
Status: Awaiting full funding and approval.

Pampanga Delta & Mega Dike Expansion
Strengthening dikes to protect Pampanga and Bulacan from lahar and typhoon floods.
National Irrigation Administration (NIA) Flood Control Components

Integration of flood control in irrigation projects (e.g., in Central Luzon).
“Build Better More” Program (DPWH 2024 Priorities)

More flood control infrastructure under the 2024 DPWH budget (P822 billion allocated).
– –
Ahead of them, there are already 5 major projects that are ongoing, duly funded:
Ongoing Major Flood Control Projects

1. Metro Manila Flood Management Project (MMFMP) – Phase 1 & 2
Funding: World Bank & AIIB ($1.1 billion total)
Scope:

Construction and improvement of 36 pumping stations (e.g., in Malabon, Navotas, Valenzuela).

Modernization of drainage systems in flood-prone areas.

Resettlement of informal settlers along waterways.
Status: Partially completed (Phase 1 ongoing, Phase 2 in procurement).

2. Pasig-Marikina River Channel Improvement Project
Goal: Widen and deepen the river to reduce flooding in Marikina, Pasig, and Manila.
Status: Ongoing dredging and embankment construction.

3. Cavite Industrial Area Flood Management Project
Funding: World Bank ($207 million)
Scope: Drainage upgrades, river improvements, and floodgates in Cavite’s industrial zones.

4. Cagayan River Flood Control Projects
Goal: Mitigate massive floods in Cagayan Valley (e.g., 2020 Typhoon Ulysses).
Actions: Dredging, river channel widening, and construction of floodwalls.

5. Mindanao River Basin Flood Control (Cotabato & Maguindanao)
Goal: Reduce flooding in the Rio Grande de Mindanao basin.
Status: Ongoing dredging and flood barrier construction.

Fact 4: Marilao-Obando-Meycauayan

Throughout Bulacan, rain waters and wastes from Valenzuela City, Metro Manila flow and plough into the tributaries and rivulets of Marilao-Obando-Meycauayan that dumps, congests and terminates in Meycauayan River. See Meycuayan River Primer here. 

Fact 5: The Batangas Climate Sustainability Strategy focuses on river restoration and flood control civil infrastructure to effectively mitigate the risks of inundation and dangerous landslides in the CALABARZON Region. With its 88 rivers, Batangas becomes vulnerable to the impact of monsoon and typhoons pouring heavy rainfall that drowns the Region and Metro Manila. To jumpstart, private sector initiativedesilts and dredges waterways, swamps, creeks, dams and rivers. Official development assistance builds civil infrastructure and massive flood control pumping, drainage and sewage systems.

Fact 6: KAMANAVA sans Batangas. See River Sustainability Project  here 

Untried approach

Corruption does not solely come from construction contracts; rather, it is attributable to systemic defects and a disparate project management structure. There is no lean process thinking and execution. It’s not investigation that turns endless.

Unwieldy floods flow from the country’s 18 Major River Basins; yet, infrastructure planning and preparation, implementation and management are lumped into the DPWH. For more than 65 years or so; nevertheless, flood control projects have been funded by the biggest ODA: WB, ADB, JICA and as far back as OECF Yen loans, and today by Korea.

The following must be addressed:

i. The powers of DPWH must be rationalised. Its herculean tasks have been left unattended even by the best of managership.

Perhaps, its “Unified Project Management Office-Flood Control Management Cluster” can be transferred to a focused agency?

ii. The proposed Department of Water Resources must be more than regulatory and policy.

It must have planning, execution, management and control. Thus, it must be able to “Plan, Do, Check, Act, a four-step iterative management method used for continuous improvement of processes and results. It’s also known as the Shewhart cycle or the Deming cycle. The PDCA cycle is a continuous loop, meaning it’s designed to be repeated to refine and improve processes over time.” And, it can “Standardize-Do-Check-Act, a quality control cycle.”

iii. What happened to the Climate Change Commission? Has it delivered Climate Sustainability Leadership? Can it take over the “Unified Project Management Office-Flood Control Management Cluster?”

Reference:

Rinen, R. M. E., & Maki, N. (n.d.). Flood control projects in the Philippines: A historical overview. Muhon: A Journal of Architecture, Landscape Architecture and the Designed Environment, 9. University of the Philippines College of Architecture.

The Euphemisms of Flood Control: Preparedness and Mitigation?

Upcoming & Proposed Projects
Laguna Lakeshore Road Network & Dike (LLDA) A 47-km dike with a highway to protect Laguna lakeshore communities.
Status: Awaiting full funding and approval.

Pampanga Delta & Mega Dike Expansion
Strengthening dikes to protect Pampanga and Bulacan from lahar and typhoon floods.
National Irrigation Administration (NIA) Flood Control Components

Integration of flood control in irrigation projects (e.g., in Central Luzon).
“Build Better More” Program (DPWH 2024 Priorities)

More flood control infrastructure under the 2024 DPWH budget (P822 billion allocated).
– –
Ahead of them, there are already 5 major projects that are ongoing, duly funded:
Ongoing Major Flood Control Projects
1. Metro Manila Flood Management Project (MMFMP) – Phase 1 & 2
Funding: World Bank & AIIB ($1.1 billion total)
Scope:

Construction and improvement of 36 pumping stations (e.g., in Malabon, Navotas, Valenzuela).

Modernization of drainage systems in flood-prone areas.

Resettlement of informal settlers along waterways.
Status: Partially completed (Phase 1 ongoing, Phase 2 in procurement).

2. Pasig-Marikina River Channel Improvement Project
Goal: Widen and deepen the river to reduce flooding in Marikina, Pasig, and Manila.
Status: Ongoing dredging and embankment construction.

3. Cavite Industrial Area Flood Management Project
Funding: World Bank ($207 million)
Scope: Drainage upgrades, river improvements, and floodgates in Cavite’s industrial zones.

4. Cagayan River Flood Control Projects
Goal: Mitigate massive floods in Cagayan Valley (e.g., 2020 Typhoon Ulysses).
Actions: Dredging, river channel widening, and construction of floodwalls.

5. Mindanao River Basin Flood Control (Cotabato & Maguindanao)
Goal: Reduce flooding in the Rio Grande de Mindanao basin.
Status: Ongoing dredging and flood barrier construction.